First Swear Word?

[Valerie in Chicago]

Ok, this isn't exactly one for the baby book, but I'm curious.....

DD just turned 5yo and has never uttered a swear word (ok, not intentionally -- i don't count mistakes made as a toddler when learning to talk)

God knows she's heard them. It's amazing what people will let fly while walking past a playground and chatting on their cellphone. She just doesn't seem to know what they are, I guess.

Is this weird? (in the nicest way, of course:001_smile:)

[WendyK]

My kids aren't up on their profanity. My oldest is 6.5. I can't honestly recall him using a swear word.

[Amy in Orlando]

LOL - we're not big "swearers" (is that a word?) here - but I know my kids all learned "dammit" from me. The rest they picked up - around. When they're little, I think it's enough to tell them that's not a word "we use." As they get older, I try to help them at least put the word in context - they may or may not choose to use the word, but they should at least know how to use it correctly. ;)

[camibami]

:blush:

When PiedPiper was a tiny, like 10 months or so and just learning to say a few words, I walked by her standing in her room with her Teletubby, La-la. She was dropping La-la, and saying (clear as day, of course!) "Dammit!"

See, that's what you say when you drop something, of course!

I felt about an inch tall, LOL.

[Mama Lynx]

Ok, this isn't exactly one for the baby book, but I'm curious.....

DD just turned 5yo and has never uttered a swear word (ok, not intentionally -- i don't count mistakes made as a toddler when learning to talk)

God knows she's heard them. It's amazing what people will let fly while walking past a playground and chatting on their cellphone. She just doesn't seem to know what they are, I guess.

Is this weird? (in the nicest way, of course:001_smile:)

Okay yes, I swear. Okay, frequently. But no, my kids don't use them, even accidentally. I've always thought that was fairly amazing. But they just don't.
I can only think of three occasions:

1) When he was 2, child #2 climbed up to my computer, hit several keys, and said sh#t! And then did it again. 'Cause, er ... well, that's what he figured you do at the keyboard. Ahem.

2) My parents were visiting us. My Dad was trying to buckle child #1 (who was 2 at the time) into his carseat, when the little angel looked up and asked, "Grandpa, what the h-e-double hockeysticks are you doing?" :lol:

3) Child number three, on one occasion, did, in all innocence, call me a bastard, loudly, in public. I think he was 5. Five or six.

Child number four has not, to my memory done any of those things. However, when we are in a store that sells bras, he is prone *yelling* out: "Look, breasts!"

That's it, though. Four kids, three "swearing" incidents that I can think of. With parents like this - it's amazing. Generally we've just explained that there are grown-up words, and kid words, and when they're older they can choose to use the older words, if they feel they must (insert appropriate discussion on appropriateness and manners).

[Erica in PA]

:blush:

When PiedPiper was a tiny, like 10 months or so and just learning to say a few words, I walked by her standing in her room with her Teletubby, La-la. She was dropping La-la, and saying (clear as day, of course!) "Dammit!"

See, that's what you say when you drop something, of course!

I felt about an inch tall, LOL.

LOL, well, don't feel too badly-- she may not have gotten it from you! My son said that "d" word very loudly and clearly when he was about 18 months old, when he was trying to get a book from the bookshelf and the other books started falling all over the place. The thing is, dh and I have never said that word ourselves. We couldn't remember ds ever seeing a movie that had that word in it. So we were baffled as to where he ever even heard the word, let alone paid enough attention to it to know exactly when and how it is used! lol So if my ds could pick that up from a random stranger, your dd probably could have too... even if you were known to use the word yourself from time to time! ;)

Erica

[nmoira]

Our kids (6 and 4) are permitted to say "arse" and "ass" (as in "silly ass," not as in derrière) in the house/car. My dad was British and it's something we always said. They occasionally use stronger language, but they know we're prefer them not to. It's never been much of an issue, and we don't make a big deal of it.

[Ailaena]

I'm with Mama, Im so glad someone else can admit their potty mouth! For whatever reason, dd is very modest and will not swear (she must have been switched at birth). Not that I try and force her or anything...:lol::lol: In fact, there is a guy running for office here named Frank Schmuck and she thought the name sounded fun, but when I told her what it meant she was terribly embarrassed.

The one time I can tease her about, she was 3 and she dropped something as I was strapping her into her seat, and she dropped the S-bomb:smilielol5: I just looked at her all astonished-like and I'm telling you, she never swore since.

And the only reason I am contributing to this delightful conversation with a boring story is because literally 5 minutes ago, my 12yo niece sent me a picture she took of her other 1st grade cousin giving her the finger. And what I find most disturbing about that is not that she is sitting directly in front of her father, but that she looks all hard, like she really means it :sad:

Now that I just killed this thread with a depressing story... :leaving:

[unsinkable]

Did anybody read Amy in Orlando's post about her neighbors? The constant fighting and swearing and what sounds like breaking stuff?

Well, that was my parents when I was a child. I was a late talker and I guess my first swear words ended in "ck." Yeah...the big ones.

It's depressing. I grew up swearing and now I don't want to swear. But after decades, sometimes those are the first words that pop into my head.

[Mom2legomaniacs]

Well, if they have ever used a toilet in a public place and can read, they'll have lots of new words on their list. Walking by a tv set can add to that list as well as just being around others in public.

[Riverfront Headmistress]

Fun story: A few weeks ago the kids and I went to see Billy Idol. In the middle of the show, he introduced the band members. When he was finished, he said, "And I'm Billy F$#@%$'n Idol."

My 10 year old looked at me and with complete sarcasm said, "Wow. Thats a great middle name," and then began to giggle. I guess she knew the word. :confused:

[Mom2legomaniacs]

My 7 yr ds was with a group of kids who were playing while their older brothers were practicing soccer. One of boys brought up swear words, specifically the "f" word. As far as I know, it was referred to in this manner and not spoken. They all, apparently, agreed they knew what the "f" word was. Then, this one little boy spelled it for them. Only, he spelled it wrong. I was very proud to know that my ds was able to correct him and spell it the right way:glare::lol:. I asked him how he knew this. He said it was all over the stalls in the restrooms where they change for swimming! I told him that in the future, if someone spells it wrong, he really should be silent about the matter and not correct it.:lol:

[swellmomma]

I am impressed she didn't say any swear words until 5. My just turned 5 yr old started using them at 3. I say started because just when I get him to understand he may not say a certain word, he learns a new one. Some he has learned from me, (yes I swear, not often but when really angry or hurt, like when I fell down the stairs they fly out) others he has learned from the teen boys next door, or kids in the neighborhood. Now though he thinks words like shut up are swears so he is swinging the other way.

All of my kids have gone through a phase of using swears. I have told the oldest 2 that if they feel they must use those words, they are never to be used around younger children, or adults. But if they think it is "cool" with their friends to have a potty mouth I really don't care. BUT if one of those friends punches them in the mouth for it don't come crying to me. They will learn what is and isn't accetable around their friends, I just won't allow them to teach little kids those words, or be disrespectful to adults.

[Parrothead]

My dd asked me something along these same lines last week.

dd: "What words are Catholics not allowed to say?"

me: "What do you mean?"

dd: "You know, the bad words."

me: "You know the bad words."

dd: "Well, I say the word for butt and the word for poo in my head over and over sometimes."

me: "Let me know when you are saying these words in your head, and we will find different words that you can use instead."

I haven't heard back yet about any words she is saying in her head.

[abbeyej]

I don't think it's weird. I don't think my ds ever swears. My dd though... She said, "Shut the darn d*mn door!" sigh. That particular phrasing is a little odd, but I can guess where she got the words. ;)

[Alenee]

I don't think it's weird either. My dd's have never used a swear word. We try really hard never to use them in front of the kids (and even in private). We both had awful potty mouths in the past and have tried hard to clean them up. I have reverted to using the word "crap" however so I'm sure that will come out eventually.

The other night, dh had a slip trying to say one word when "t*tty" came out. I was mortified which caused my 6yo to wonder what was so wrong. I finally had to come out and just explain that it was a bad word for a woman's breast. She laughed so hard she almost had an accident!:lol:

[Pencil Pusher]

Dd5 a couple of yrs ago was running around saying, "Damage!" LOL--I suspect she heard something from bil & wasn't quite sure what it was.

I think that's it for us.

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

At dd7's 3rd birthday, she got a bunch of Star Wars toys and was pulling them out of the bag one by one naming them. She got to one and said, "I don't know who the h*** this is." Apparently, Hans Solo used that word in Star Wars and she didn't know it was a bad word when used in that context.

We don't censor media here at all and dd has heard and/or read just about every word in the book. However, she does not tolerate usage of bad language among people she knows. I get dirty looks for saying "darn" and "stupid".